Laos Escape

Welcome to Vientiane! On your arrival,your guide will meet you and escort you to the hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure.  

Today's visits will begin at Wat Sisaket.Housing thousands of miniature Buddha statues in its walls, it is argually the most beautiful temple in Vientiane. Next stop is Wat Phra kaew, built in 1565 as the Lao royal family's personal chapel to enshrine the Emerald Buddha statue, which was subsequently stolen by the Siamese and now sits in the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Then go to visit the Patuxay monument - also called Anousavari. Here, you can climb up on the roof for fantastic panoramic views. Continue on to the golden stupa of That Luang, the holiest place in Laos.

The final stop of this morning is the excellent COPE exhibition centre, highlighting the Lao people's continued day-to-day struggle with the unexploded ordnance as a result of heavy bombing campaigns during the Vietnam War era.

Having returned to the hotel, your afternoon is at leisure till 6pm.

When the sun sets and the air cools, the city of Vientiane turns positively vibrant, especially around the street-food market. A trip to Laos wouldn't be complete without savouring some of Lao's fantastic street-food. Accompanied by your guide, take a tuk tuk to the night market near That Luang, a place without many tourists, but is a consistent favourite among the locals. YAs the stalls come alive with delicious aromas, your guide will help you pick out a selection of dishes to sample but remember to save some room for the main event: a Lao-style BBQ, known as a Sin Dat.  

After dinner relax in the tuk tuk for a leisurely ride back to your hotel.

After breakfast, drive in a picturesque route to Vang Vieng via Ban Keun famous for its salt mine. Taking the opportunity to stop, you will learn about the daily working life of the local people. Continue on to Nam Ngum, a popular lakeside spot for people from Vientiane to visit, especially at the weekends.

Having taken a break for lunch if you wish, continue north to Vang Vieng, stopping at Tha Heua, a small village known for its dried fish, where you will see hanging fish outside the local houses. Arrive into Vang Vieng by mid-afternoon.

Visit the picturesque Tham Jang Cave, once used as a hideout from Chinese invaders by the local people and it offers stunning views of over the Nam Song River and surrounding karst scenery.  

After breakfast, enjoy a bicycle ride through the Vang Vieng countryside, along quiet tracks, among the astonished limestone karst scenery. A stop can be made at a Tai Dam Weaving Village, the women there weave brightly-colored textiles.  After an hour's cycling, you will arrive at the ‘blue lagoon’: the perfect spot to cool off with a refreshing dip in the crystal clear waters. There is also the option of climbing up to Tham Phoukham Cave (‘Cave of the Golden Crab), which boasts a vast cavern and impressive stalagmites, some of which look like crabs (hence the name).

Drive back towards Vang Vieng, you will stop at an organic farm where you’ll enjoy a leisurely lunch by the beautiful Nam Song River. 

After the lunch, board the awaiting kayaks and paddle back to Vang Vieng, along the Nam Song River. Enjoy the beautiful scenery along the quiet river.  

After an early breakfast, drive north for Sayaboury. On the way, you may stop at several points of interest en route. Upon arrival, board on a small boat to cross Nam Tien Lake, to reach the Elephant Conservation Centre.

The centre is considered to be the first elephant hospital dedicated to victims suffering from logging accidents as well as those affected by diseases. Staffed by an international team of elephant veterinarians, the hospital offers veterinary care services, an operating room and an emergency unit as well as a laboratory.

Also on site is an elephant nursery; the HQ of an innovative reproduction project led by Lao mahouts in partnership with the centre. It relies on voluntary participation and aims to support mahouts working in logging by assisting with the cost of breeding elephants.

After lunch, take a guided tour of the centre’s facilities and learn about the excellent work being carried out by the team. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet the stars of the show, having your first interaction with the elephants whilst their mahouts show you how they mount and dismount these mighty creatures, and the commands they use. It’s fascinating to observe the unique bond between the mahout and his elephant. In the late afternoon, accompanied by the mahouts, walk the elephants into the forest to their night resting place.

Before dinner there is time to relax and soak up the scenic surroundings. Overnight at the Elephant Conservation Centre. 

After breakfast, join in the elephants for their daily exercise. Take a stroll to the Socialization Area through the tropical forest. Elephants are extremely social animals and this area has been created for the elephants to freely interact and establish bonds as they would in their natural environment. It's a great opportunity to observe elephants' natural behaving, without receiving any instructions from their mahouts.

After lunch, pay a visit to the elephant nursery: a peaceful spot for mothers and their new babies; it has permanent access to water and plenty of natural fodder to graze on. The camp’s specialist team spends many years with each calf, helping them learn the vital skills of how to sustain themselves.

In the afternoon, after saying goodbye to the elephants, drive back to Luang Prabang. 

Free at leisure today.

After breakfast drive out of Luang Prabang to the Living Lands Organic Farm, a community enterprise, where you will meet the local farming guide for an informative, but fun morning.

Rice is an important part of life in Laos: it’s eaten at every meal and there are over 500 types of rice grown in the country. During your time at the farm, you’ll learn about each step of the rice harvest and cultivation process, and try your hand at the traditional techniques (and basic tools) that have been used for centuries.

The morning concludes with a rice tasting session, by which time you will have a much greater appreciation of the work and effort that goes into a simple bowl of rice!

Return to Luang Prabang where the remainder of your day is at leisure.

Morning departure by car for Nong Khiaw, taking the scenic route that passes amongst rolling hills enjoying intermittent views of the Nam Ou River. Stop at the mysterious Pak Ou caves which house literally thousands of Buddha statues, hidden from the looting Chinese Haw in times gone by. The statues range from a few centimetres to the size of a human. Travelling through some dramatic landscape take time to stop and visit the villages of the H’mong and Khmu hill minority tribes before arriving at Nong Khiaw in the early afternoon.

Nong Khiaw is a remote village situated on the banks of the Nam Ou River and flanked on either side by stunning mountainous backdrops. The remainder of your day is at leisure so why not take a stroll along the river bank, wander through local villages, or just settle back with a Beer Lao and wait for the spectacular sunset.

After breakfast you will have a cruise upstream on the Nam Ou River. This particular stretch of river brings your astonished scenery and takes you to some remote minority tribes spoted along the river which only can be reached by boat, including Ban Sop Khing and Ban Sob Jaem. Stop to visit both villages as well as the fishing village of Muang Ngoi where you will enjoy lunch.

After a wander around Muang Ngoi, return by river to Nong Khiaw, arriving by mid-afternoon. The remainder of your day is at leisure.

After breakfast, drive back to Luang Prabang, arriving into town around lunch time. Check in your hotel and the rest of your day is at leisure.

Free at leisure till be transferred to the airport for your flight back to your sweet home.